Equestrianism: Yogis bare necessities

The Swede charged with the future of British eventing is a stickler for detail, and there is little that escapes his attention, writes Rob Hughes

On Monday last week, the most successful British team of any sport in recent history set sail for Ireland. It was an amazing convoy: three lorries, six riders, six horses and six grooms, three trainers, one vet, a farrier, a physiotherapist who lays healing hands on humans and horses alike, a team doctor, and then the administrators.

They sailed from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, and from there drove to Punchestown in the emerald-lush hills south of Dublin.

The entire cost of their mission is £18,000. For that, the British three-day eventing team was expected to do what it has for eight of the past nine contests, and bring home the European championship.

It would be cruel and unnecessary to make any comparison this weekend between our competitors in the saddle and those with a racket. Far better to suggest that the essence of these championships is something akin to the